US judge blocks Trump’s deployment of National Guard in Illinois
A federal judge in Chicago has temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois, marking the second such ruling in less than a week.
Judge April Perry ruled on Thursday that sending hundreds of soldiers into the state would “only add fuel to the fire,” following two hours of arguments between lawyers for the Trump administration and the state of Illinois, which filed suit to stop the deployment, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The decision comes just days after another federal judge blocked a similar move in Portland, Oregon. Both cases could shape the limits of Trump’s efforts to deploy military personnel in U.S. cities led by Democratic governors, who accuse him of misrepresenting small, mostly peaceful protests as violent to justify military intervention.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker welcomed the ruling, saying: “Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law. There is no credible evidence of a rebellion in Illinois, and no place for the National Guard in the streets of cities like Chicago.”
The court order will remain in effect until October 23, while the White House said it plans to appeal.
Trump, however, signaled his intent to expand troop deployments, saying during a cabinet meeting, “We’re in Memphis. We’re going to Chicago. We’re going to other cities,” calling it part of his campaign to confront what he described as “left-wing domestic terrorism.”
Under U.S. law, the National Guard typically operates under state authority and assists during emergencies such as natural disasters. Deploying troops for law enforcement purposes is legally restricted, and Trump’s moves are testing the limits of presidential power in this area.
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